No striker battle at United, declares Solskjaer
INDIVIDUAL awards such as the Golden Boot and the Ballon d’Or seem increasingly important to modern players. But not at Old Trafford where Ole Gunnar Solskjaer warns anyone putting self-interest first will find themselves out of the Manchester United team.
As United head to the eight-team Europa League finals in Germany this week, attempting to win their first trophy since 2017, the competition to finish their leading scorer this season has attracted interest with Anthony Martial leading Marcus Rashford by a goal (23-22).
‘There’s no battle between them,’ insists Solskjaer about his two young and in-form forwards. ‘You see how Anthony and Marcus play together — they are always willing to give each other the gift of an open goal.
‘For me, there can never be a battle between players within a team. We have one common cause: to win.
‘If I ever sense players playing for themselves, their own accolades and personal awards, I won’t have them in the team. It’s simple.
‘I don’t want egos. It can’t be about one player thinking he is going to score more goals than someone else. If you win as a team, it doesn’t matter if you have scored 15 goals or 30. It only matters that you have contributed.
‘Ruud van Nistelrooy was very focused on his goals. He’d come off miserable after a 4-0 win if he hadn’t scored. But he was a team player. You never saw Ruud take a shot when he should have passed.’
Solskjaer is hoping United’s unity will allow them to finish a season full of twists with a happy ending. Victory against FC Copenhagen in Cologne tomorrow could set up a one-off semi-final with Wolves next weekend.
And Solskjaer claims lifting a trophy as United boss to top off the season would better the nine he won as a player.
‘I owe my career to this club, so winning something as manager would be the proudest moment of my football life,’ added the United boss.
‘It would be the biggest achievement for me.’